This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| South American Team of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Name | South American Team of the Year |
| Awarded for | Excellence in South American club football |
| Country | South America |
| Presenter | CONMEBOL |
| First awarded | 1980s |
| Most awards | Club Atlético River Plate / Club Atlético Boca Juniors |
| Website | CONMEBOL |
South American Team of the Year is an annual selection recognizing the best club side or composite eleven representing South America in a given calendar year. The designation aggregates performances across competitions such as the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Recopa Sudamericana, and domestic leagues like the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Primera División (Argentina), and Categoría Primera A. Voting bodies have included panels from CONMEBOL, sports media outlets such as El País (Uruguay), and associations incorporating representatives from clubs like Flamengo, Boca Juniors, and River Plate.
The concept originated amid discussions at CONMEBOL congresses in the 1980s when continental recognition paralleled awards like the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World XI. Early iterations reflected dominance by teams from Argentina and Brazil, particularly during campaigns by Independiente, Boca Juniors, River Plate, São Paulo FC, and Santos FC. Through the 1990s and 2000s, influence expanded as clubs such as Boca Juniors during the 2000 Copa Libertadores era and São Paulo FC under Telê Santana accumulated honors alongside emerging powers like Flamengo and Corinthians. The award adapted with continental calendar reforms tied to competitions hosted in stadiums such as Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Maracanã Stadium, and Estádio do Maracanãzinho for ancillary events. Notable administrative moments included votes coinciding with Copa América tournaments and synergies with media prizes hosted by outlets like El Gráfico, Olé (Argentina), and ESPN Brasil.
Nomination pools draw from performance metrics in the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and domestic leagues like the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Primera División (Argentina), and Campeonato Uruguayo. Voters often include representatives from federations such as the Brazilian Football Confederation, Argentine Football Association, and Asociación del Fútbol Argentino. Statistical input references records from governing bodies including CONMEBOL and club competition archives chronicling campaigns by teams like Atlético Mineiro, Santos FC, Fluminense FC, Vasco da Gama, and Palmeiras. Selection emphasizes contributions by players associated with clubs such as Lionel Messi’s formative club Newell's Old Boys origins (contextual), managers like Carlos Bianchi, Diego Simeone, Jorge Jesus, and Rogério Ceni, and institutional success in tournaments like the Recopa Sudamericana and Intercontinental Cup where clubs including Peñarol and Nacional (Uruguay) historically competed. Criteria also account for continental fair play recognitions and disciplinary records maintained by FIFA adjudications when relevant.
Teams repeatedly appearing in the selection include Boca Juniors squads led by César Luis Menotti-era talents and later by Carlos Bianchi, River Plate sides under Marcelo Gallardo, and São Paulo FC iterations that won the 1992 Copa Libertadores and 1993 Intercontinental Cup. Other recurrent entries include Independiente during its multi-Copa Libertadores dominance, Flamengo under Jorge Jesus and Paulo Autuori, Corinthians in post-2012 continental campaigns, and Atlético Nacional following Reinaldo Rueda’s stewardship. Individual contributors tied to these teams—players like Juan Román Riquelme, Romário, Ronaldo, Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa, Carlos Tevez, Ángel Di María, Ronaldinho, Enzo Francescoli, Ariel Ortega, Sebastián Battaglia, Zico, Sócrates, Ronaldo (R9), Hernán Crespo, Diego Maradona (historical South American club context), Paolo Guerrero, Diego Forlán, Lautaro Martínez, Radamel Falcao, James Rodríguez, Diego Milito, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Ganso, Álvaro Recoba, Dida, and managers mentioned above—frequently shaped selections. Historic recipients also include Uruguayan clubs like Peñarol and Nacional (Uruguay), Paraguayan sides such as Olimpia (Asunción), and Chilean representatives like Colo-Colo.
Clubs with the most appearances in teams of the year statistics encompass River Plate, Boca Juniors, São Paulo FC, Santos FC, Flamengo, and Palmeiras. Managers with multiple inclusions mirror club success—Carlos Bianchi, Marcelo Gallardo, Telê Santana, and Jorge Jesus feature prominently. Players with repeated recognition include Juan Román Riquelme, Carlos Tevez, Ronaldinho, Neymar, and Lionel Messi for their continental contributions when active in South American club competitions. Statistical tallies compile achievements across tournaments administered by CONMEBOL and domestic federations like the Argentine Football Association and Brazilian Football Confederation, with metrics tracking appearances, goals, assists, clean sheets, and continental trophies such as the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.
Criticism has focused on perceived bias toward clubs from Argentina and Brazil, prompting debates involving federations like the Brazilian Football Confederation and the Argentine Football Association and media outlets such as Clarín (Argentina), Folha de S.Paulo, and La Nación (Argentina). Other disputes arose over voting transparency when panels included representatives from broadcasters like ESPN, FOX Sports (Argentina), and newspapers such as El País (Uruguay), sparking comparisons to continental award controversies linked to the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year. Accusations of commercial influence surfaced during sponsorship deals with corporations present across South America, involving clubs like Flamengo and Corinthians and prompting legal and ethical discussions referencing CONMEBOL governance reforms after scandals dating to the 2010s. Regional proponents from federations in Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile have lobbied for proportional representation to address perceived imbalance favoring major markets centered in Buenos Aires and São Paulo.
Category:Football awards in South America